The Girard Perregaux Opera Two is a minute repeater with Westminster Chime, tourbillon, perpetual calendar wristwatch in oversized, massive solid platinum case.

The dial features cutaways which highlight the tourbillon and repeating apparatus. The Girard Perregaux “Opera” series watches are the highest of high grade watches, from Switzerland’s oldest continuously operating watch manufacturer. I am a great fan, and I still get excited when we buy an Opera timepiece.

Case is truly massive and solid platinum. Dimensions are 41mm diameter by 14.6mm thick. From lug tip to lug tip, this watch is 50mm long and including the crown and repeating slide is 47.2mm wide. The fit and finish are extraordinary. The bezel is massive and broad, and the case proper is also massive. Both of these are expertly brushed finished, except for a narrow ring around the top of the crystal which is polished and the lower edge of the bezel, which is bevelled, which is also polished. The top surface of the lugs, the crown and caseback are all polished. The contrasts are extremely flattering to the watch, and play off the polished hour markers for fantastic effect. Sapphire front and display back crystals.

When you strap this to your wrist, you know you have SOMETHING here…

he dial is silver with dauphine hands. This watch is a perpetual calendar, and the uppermost sub-dial displays month and leap year cycle. Date is displayed in the 3 o’clock subdial. Day is displayed in the 9 o’clock sub-dial. Tourbillon is visible working in the6 o’clock dial cut away.

Movement is the extremely elite manual winding Girard Perregaux Caliber GP 9897 with 37 jewels, beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour and with 75 hour power reserve. The real story with this caliber is, of course, the complications: Westminster Chime Minutes Repetition, Tourbillon and Perpetual Calendar.